Mediterranean Chicken with Green Olives

In my zeal to bring order at the beginning of the year, I’m sifting through folders of old recipes. I spotted one and thought I can do something with this.  Where it came from I don’t know.  It might have been from Simone Beck’s cooking school, which I attended in the south of France, back in the dim past when Julia Child had a house on Simca’s property.  From the old Selectric typeface, it has to be at least twenty-five years old.  What a long delay in recognizing the merits of this flavorful, exotic dish. The Moorish spices makes the recipe read Sicily, Andalusia or some other sun-washed spot.  I adapted it right and left because some of steps made little sense.

It’s great fun to make—rummaging for all the spices–and looks like it came from a kitchen adjacent to an olive grove.  Weirdest aspect—the chicken is cooked in highly seasoned water!  Next time I make it, I might brown the chicken pieces, just for looks.  But check it out—not bad for a random Monday night.  Also, great for a more svelte silhouette. The size pot depends on the sizes of the chicken pieces—a single layer is best. I didn’t serve it with cous-cous (see svelte silhouette) but imagined it with the lemony sauce and almonds.

Serves 4-6

4 to 6 bone-in chicken breasts (I had 4 huge ones on hand but prefer smaller pieces. You could use one chicken, cut in pieces.)

2 ½ cups of water (or to cover)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon each: black pepper, ground ginger, salt

½ teaspoon each: paprika, cumin, tumeric

A few threads of saffron

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

½ cup lemon juice

2 cups big green pitted olives, sliced

½ cup whole almonds

1 cup chopped parsley

zest of the lemons

Place the chicken in a stove-top pot or casserole with a cover. Pour the water over and add all the spices, the garlic and onion. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until done, which for the big breasts was about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, toast almonds with some coarse salt in a skillet.

Remove chicken to an oven dish.  Boil down the sauce until it thickens. Add lemon juice and most of the olives, parsley and zest. Heat through, pour sauce over the chicken and garnish with remaining parsley, olives, zest and the almonds.

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